New
Landfall expected late Friday along the Texas coastline
The Associated Press
Posted: Aug 24, 2017 1:50 PM ET
Last Updated: Aug 24, 2017 1:50 PM ET
The U.S. National Hurricane Center says tropical storm Harvey is now Hurricane Harvey and is forecasting it will become a major hurricane that will hit the middle Texas coastline.
Sustained winds have reached 129 km/h. A major hurricane means winds greater than 177 km/h.
Forecasters said a “life-threatening” storm surge along with rains and wind were likely as Harvey was intensifying faster than previously forecast.
Harvey is seen approaching the Texas Gulf Coast, U.S., in this satellite image taken at 10:07 ET on Aug. 24. (NOAA/Handout via Reuters)
Landfall was expected late Friday between Port O’Connor and Matagorda Bay, a 48-kilometre stretch of coastline about 110 kilometres northeast of Corpus Christi.
The hurricane centre says it’s possible the storm then could just stall inland for as many as three days, exasperating the threat of severe flooding.
The last major hurricane to hit Texas was Ike, in September 2008. It brought winds of 177 km/h in the Galveston and Houston areas and left damages of $22 billion US.
Harvey is the third hurricane of the 2017 Atlantic season, the centre said.
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